Are You “Strong Enough For Tai Chi?”
People who know nothing of tai chi usually watch the slow movement and think to themselves, “That looks pretty easy. I could do that.” What few people understand is the leg and arm strength that’s needed for tai chi to “appear easy”. Leg and arm strength are developed slowly over time… and no you don’t have to look like this to go tai chi.
I’ve talked about developing leg strength for tai chi before and I think it’s time to touch on it again. Most students experience sore and tired legs in the beginning. This makes moving a bit more difficult and is often more than a bit frustrating. Over time leg strength builds until one day they realize they can easily do things that were once nearly impossible, such as supporting all their weight on one leg as they lower their body and place the other foot very gently on the floor.
What if there was a way to build this leg strength more quickly, without all that arduous and dreadful practice? Well guess what, there is. It does require practice but practice you can easily fit into your daily life while doing routine tasks around the house. You’ll look, and will probably feel, a bit silly at first but it works like magic. Before you know it you’ll be strong enough for tai chi and you’ll naturally learn to release the tension in your lower back and hips that gets in the way of fluid movement.
What, pray tell, is this magical exercise? It’s quite simple really, when you’re doing something routine just distribute your weight evenly across your feet, keep your posture upright with your head lifted and bend your knees. Now stay in that posture for a few minutes as you go about your activity. This means as you walk around, you keep your knees bent while maintaining your posture. This can be done while brushing your teeth, making breakfast, or just about anything routine. You’ll find, in a very short time, that your legs will not tire as easily and that you’ll be able to do this for longer and longer periods of time.
While doing this exercise, don’t worry about how long you can do it at first. The act of doing this for 30 seconds here, a minute there, throughout the day will build your leg strength to the point you can do the exercise for longer and longer periods of time. Shortly you’ll begin to notice the difference when you’re practicing tai chi, and difference can be huge.
Give this simple exercise and try. Once you’ve gotten past the place of feeling silly, you’ll probably want to do it more and more because of what it does for your tai chi, not to mention how much better you feel because of the extra energy you have.
Your thoughts?
John
P.S. I found this pic here: http://dustinlebeltraining.blogspot.com/2009/06/building-strong-legs-with-sandbags.html
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Dec 22, 2009 - 09:12:51Hi John,
One of my class mate, a grandmother did tai chi for 2+ years, a lot of our classes are spent in the bent knees positions.
She said that before tai chi she was shaking climbing up and down stairs and now she is quite stable and certain and looks forward to the day when she can bounce up the stairs like she was 16!
Geoffrey,
That’s great story. I study with a woman in a similar position and tai chi has really changed her life.
Thanks,
John
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